We got up at 5am this morning to go see a cow being milked.....I am not kidding....American’s are easily entertained!!!! This foray came from a discussion about the milk that we were drinking in our coffee and tea. Paul Billy mentioned that they got it each morning from the farmer.....straight out of the cow, so we had to go and see. Sure enough, at 6 am the farmer had the cow at the end of the street and was busily milking her. The street residents were waiting across the street and after he had a bucket of milk, he walked across, dipped the foam off of the top of the milk and started pouring it into a metal measuring container (probably about 2 or 3 cup size). Each person had their own metal container and he would pour a certain amount into their containers. They paid with coupons which were purchased at a different time. After he finished milking, the cow simply wandered up the street!! PB said that they boil the milk for about 20 minutes before they use it.
There were two ladies who were obviously laughing at us out taking photos, but were very nice to us. As we walked off, we asked the one remaining lady if we could take her photo. She obliged and then proceeded to invite us into her house for coffee. We had a wonderful time talking with she and her husband. He had just woken up and she said.....”We have visitors.....American’s!!!” He seemed pleased and came out and sat with us as well. They did not drink with us, but served coffee sweetened with milk and sugar and cookies that had a ginger flavor to them. I still don’t know their names, but we had a wonderful time with them. They had lived in Indonesia for 30 years and had just retired back to their home in Bangalore. They have two sons, one is living in Melbourne Australia and the other is in Edinburgh Scotland.
At 7:30am we left with PB to deliver his kids to school and then to go out for breakfast....I guess the coffee and biscuits (cookies) with the neighbors didn’t count!! We went to a café called “Tivoli Garden”. There were places to sit inside, but we chose to sit outside under a HUGE Banyan tree (also called a “Strangler Fig”). According to Wikipedia......The tree begins life as a germinated seed in the crown of another tree. Its roots grow down and around the stem of the host, their growth accelerating once the ground has been reached. Over time, the roots coalesce to form a pseudotrunk, eventually strangling and killing the host.). These aerial roots gave the tree a very interesting look.
We asked for something light for breakfast and PB suggested that we have a pancake. We thought “that sounds small enough”, but were we wrong!!!! The pancake would have been about 12-15 inches in diameter and was very greasy as if it had been fried in oil. It was served rolled into a loose tube. We tore off pieces of it and dipped it into Coconut chutney, which was sweet, or Sambar sauce, which was a thin curry. Both were great, but we enjoyed the spicy Sambar better.
As we sat there, I realized that they were also delivering food to the cars that were parked nearby. PB confirmed that it is indeed a drive-in restaurant....apparently the last one in Bangalore. The car-sitters were served with plates and glasses just as we were....no plastic or Styrofoam here!!
After breakfast, PB dropped us off at Commercial Street which is covered in small shops, vendor’s stands and larger stores. We spent about 3 hours roaming the streets and shopping for fabrics and other goodies. When we finished, we found an Auto-Rickshaw stand and contracted with a driver to take us back to our house. Although we had heard that the Auto’s were not always safe, we really enjoyed riding in it. In one sense, it seemed almost safer because it was smaller and could get through tighter spaces than the car could. The Auto-Rickshawk is a three wheeler vehicle for hire, and has a tin/iron body resting on three small wheels (one in front, two on the rear), a small cabin for the driver in the front and seating for three in the rear. They typically don’t have doors or seatbelts. The driver steers using handlebars like you would find on a motorcycle. Anyway, it was bumpy, noisy, smelly (from car fumes) but a LOT of fun!!!!1
We saw a funny sticker on the back of a school bus asking you to call and report if the driver is “Rash, Negligent or Reckless and doesn’t follow the traffic rules”. Our thought was “HOW WOULD YOU EVER TELL!!!!”
We are learning more about the traffic rules (or rather, lack of rules). Paul Billy describes the lanes on the road as being fluid and this really tells the story. If there is not much traffic coming toward you, the lanes will expand into the oncoming lanes, sometimes to the point that you have a car coming head-on toward you. I don’t know exactly how, but they always manage to miss each other. It also seems that stop lights are merely suggestions, particularly for the Auto-Rickshaws and motorcycles. As a matter of fact, when PB would sit at a red light when there was no one crossing the intersection, the people behind would honk at him to go on. There are not many red lights....just at very large intersections. The vendors and beggars know where these lights are and converge on the car whenever you stop. PB would simply roll up the windows when they came by, but they would still knock on your window to get your attention. One of the funniest vendor items that I saw was an “Electrified Mosquito Zapper”. It was shaped like a badminton racket and was electrified by a rechargeable battery. I guess that you could sit outside and zap the mosquitoes that flew by!!!!
We have enjoyed watching the variety of motorcycle riders here. We saw two men on one motorcycle, with a Casio Keyboard between them. The box stuck out on both sides of the cycle. We also saw two men with the back one carrying a LARGE projection screen stuck into the air. He had to keep shifting it to keep it from hitting the lower tree branches!!! PB said that those were minor incidents and that he had once seen 4 men on motorcycles, balancing a large flat board on their heads, one at each corner!!!!
It has also been interesting to see the configuration of people that can ride on one cycle. In most cases there are two....the man is driving and the woman is sitting side-saddle on the back, however we have seen several families all riding together. They might have one child in front of the driver and another one between the parents. I even saw one where there was a small child between the parents, and the mother was holding a 1-year old in her arms while she sat side-saddle.....I cant imagine doing that!!!!! We saw one cycle that had a mother driving and 4 kids on the cycle with her!!!!!
They do have buses which seem to be fairly crowded. One that I saw on Sunday evening was completely full, and even had 3 guys hanging out of each of the doors!!!!
There seem to be few accidents. We did see one group of about 20 men gathered around a small accident, each trying to help broker an agreement between the two people involved.
So, whatever the driving rules are.....they seem to work!!!!!
Our final meal with Paul Billy and Shirley consisted of a lamb curry served over rice and spicy green beans The beans were not served whole, but were chopped into small circular rounds, and had been cooked with onions and chili’s.
After lunch, PB drove us to the Indian Institute of Science where Michael will be visiting for the next two days. The campus is huge with many natural areas. I laughed when I saw a sign with a horn crossed out, indicating that there is to be no honking.....I imagine that is very hard for the Indian drivers to do. We are being housed at the Main guest house which I would describe as “elegant primitive”. The rooms are air-conditioner, have TV, and a large bed, yet there is a family of Geckos living on the wall just opposite to our door. The guest house is an open-air building, with most of the walkways being open to the outdoors. The large windows do not have screens and are currently open....I would imagine that they are closed during much of the monsoon season. The view from our window is thickly wooded and is very private. There are 50 rooms in the house and seem to be almost as many servants floating around. We asked whether there was some place that we could buy cold drinks and about 30 minutes later they were delivered to our door (at a price of 40 rupees – about $1)
We reluctantly went to the dining room for dinner, as neither of us were hungry, but were pleased to find that it was served buffet style so we were able to eat a lighter meal. However, someone did come by the table every 5 minutes to offer us MORE food. We started the meal with a really nice potato and leek soup.....I could have just eaten that with a crusty roll and been happy!!! We ended the meal with a desert soup that had a slightly sweet flavor. I don’t know what it was made of, but it was creamy (like creamed corn) and had raisins and almonds in it. The almonds had been cooked until they were soft like a bean. It was good, but we both grabbed a piece of chocolate when we returned to our room. Incidentally, the Indians LOVE sweets, but there is very little chocolate.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Day 5 - Sunday, June 15th
We had yet another great sleep and ate a snack type breakfast at our own house before journeying to PB’s house. We piled into their vehicle and drove about 15 minutes to their church, Bangalore Presbyterian. There was not much traffic at this time of morning (8am), but it picked up through out the day.
We had a wonderful time at the church, which meets on the second floor of a building.....a mattress maker is on the first floor. There were about 40 people there and worship was wonderful. Two brothers led the praise time, again singing many of the praise songs that we knew and loved. Paul Billy preached and then we had coffee and stayed for Sunday School. The people in the congregation were very friendly and didn’t complain at all when we asked to take photos. We enjoyed talking to many of them and learning of their stories.
After church we returned home to change clothes and then the two Arnold families set out for lunch. PB had said that “You haven’t been to Bangalore unless you have been to Impes”. Michael and I had wondered what Impes was, and exactly how you spelled it. Well, when we got there, we discovered that it was short for Hotel Imperial!!! It is a long-standing restaurant and has excellent food. PB told us that there were certain things that the restaurant was known for, so we let him order for us......he did a GREAT job!!!! We started out with Kebab Chicken (fried after being marinated in a certain spice) and Teethiti Quail (small pieces of meat that had been marinated and cooked with curry leaves). Next came Butter Chicken Sauce (WONDERFUL and creamy) to eat on steamed Ghee rice, followed by Parotta bread. I looked up information on this bread and this is what I found......It is made with wheat flour, eggs and oil (high in cholesterol). These are mixed together, rolled into balls and allowed to sit for 4 to 5 hours. The balls are rolled out into pancakes and then the pancakes are stretched and flipped until they are paper thin. The large thin pancake is now stretched lengthwise to make a long tube with many thin layers. This tube is rolled into a spiral, tucking the end of the tube into the center of the spiral. Finally, this spiral is rolled flat and the bread is cooked on a griddle. They will often place the cooked bread onto a piece of paper, fold it over and smash it before serving. The result of all of this is that the bread is very fluffy and has lots of light layers to it. Ok.....back to the meal...... We finished the meal with lime tea which was wonderful. It had just a slight sourness to it and is supposed to be good for the digestion.
On the way back to the car, we stopped by a fruit market. It was amazing to see all of the different types of fruit and even more amazing to see how they displayed it. The round fruits were stacked on top of one another to form a pyramid, while the bananas were hung on their original stalks. Grapes and other vine-type fruits were hung from the ceiling of the stall. We enjoyed seeing Lychees.....they are round and have lots of tentacle looking stems coming off of them and look sort of like spiders......not at all like the canned ones that we buy!!!
We spent the rest of Sunday afternoon in our house, reading and relaxing. We had another visit by monkeys and one of the neighbors brought out bananas to feed them so that we could photograph them easier. It was funny to see one person feeding them while the man on the other side used a stick to shoo them away. Obviously not everyone feels the same about their presence.
At about 6:30, Paul Billy drove us to the State Buildings which house the government for the state of Karnataka . The buildings are built from hand carved granite and are beautiful. They are normally left unlit at night, but are lit up from 7-8 pm on Sundays. There were many families there, some had brought picnic meals and were enjoying the sight of the beautiful buildings. Across the street was the High Court building. It was also a wonderful building, but the view was distorted because of two brightly lit, very tall buildings behind it. These were built by one of the millionaire business owners (Kingfisher Industries) in India and some people were upset because it distracted from the beauty of the High Court building. We laughed at the motto inscribed over the entrance to the High Court......”Justice for All – Real and Speedy”. The first part sounds great, but the last phrase seems a bit cheesy!!
We returned to the house and Shirley had fixed yet another meal....this one a bit more simple, and fortunately, smaller!!! It was a rice and lentil porridge that was fairly bland when eaten by itself, but she had also made a Chutney of coconut, corriander, onion, turmeric and chili. These ingredients were all blended together and molded into a large ball. We cut off sections of this ball and stirred it into the porridge. There were also several dishes of fruit on the table and we sampled cherries, green almonds (taste more like a bean than an almond), pomegranate seeds and Mangosteen. The rind of the Mangosteen is about ½ inch thick and is a deep reddish- purple color. The fruits are in sections inside the rind and have a citrus flavor, with a bit of peach as well. They were both interesting and tasty!!!
We had a wonderful time at the church, which meets on the second floor of a building.....a mattress maker is on the first floor. There were about 40 people there and worship was wonderful. Two brothers led the praise time, again singing many of the praise songs that we knew and loved. Paul Billy preached and then we had coffee and stayed for Sunday School. The people in the congregation were very friendly and didn’t complain at all when we asked to take photos. We enjoyed talking to many of them and learning of their stories.
After church we returned home to change clothes and then the two Arnold families set out for lunch. PB had said that “You haven’t been to Bangalore unless you have been to Impes”. Michael and I had wondered what Impes was, and exactly how you spelled it. Well, when we got there, we discovered that it was short for Hotel Imperial!!! It is a long-standing restaurant and has excellent food. PB told us that there were certain things that the restaurant was known for, so we let him order for us......he did a GREAT job!!!! We started out with Kebab Chicken (fried after being marinated in a certain spice) and Teethiti Quail (small pieces of meat that had been marinated and cooked with curry leaves). Next came Butter Chicken Sauce (WONDERFUL and creamy) to eat on steamed Ghee rice, followed by Parotta bread. I looked up information on this bread and this is what I found......It is made with wheat flour, eggs and oil (high in cholesterol). These are mixed together, rolled into balls and allowed to sit for 4 to 5 hours. The balls are rolled out into pancakes and then the pancakes are stretched and flipped until they are paper thin. The large thin pancake is now stretched lengthwise to make a long tube with many thin layers. This tube is rolled into a spiral, tucking the end of the tube into the center of the spiral. Finally, this spiral is rolled flat and the bread is cooked on a griddle. They will often place the cooked bread onto a piece of paper, fold it over and smash it before serving. The result of all of this is that the bread is very fluffy and has lots of light layers to it. Ok.....back to the meal...... We finished the meal with lime tea which was wonderful. It had just a slight sourness to it and is supposed to be good for the digestion.
On the way back to the car, we stopped by a fruit market. It was amazing to see all of the different types of fruit and even more amazing to see how they displayed it. The round fruits were stacked on top of one another to form a pyramid, while the bananas were hung on their original stalks. Grapes and other vine-type fruits were hung from the ceiling of the stall. We enjoyed seeing Lychees.....they are round and have lots of tentacle looking stems coming off of them and look sort of like spiders......not at all like the canned ones that we buy!!!
We spent the rest of Sunday afternoon in our house, reading and relaxing. We had another visit by monkeys and one of the neighbors brought out bananas to feed them so that we could photograph them easier. It was funny to see one person feeding them while the man on the other side used a stick to shoo them away. Obviously not everyone feels the same about their presence.
At about 6:30, Paul Billy drove us to the State Buildings which house the government for the state of Karnataka . The buildings are built from hand carved granite and are beautiful. They are normally left unlit at night, but are lit up from 7-8 pm on Sundays. There were many families there, some had brought picnic meals and were enjoying the sight of the beautiful buildings. Across the street was the High Court building. It was also a wonderful building, but the view was distorted because of two brightly lit, very tall buildings behind it. These were built by one of the millionaire business owners (Kingfisher Industries) in India and some people were upset because it distracted from the beauty of the High Court building. We laughed at the motto inscribed over the entrance to the High Court......”Justice for All – Real and Speedy”. The first part sounds great, but the last phrase seems a bit cheesy!!
We returned to the house and Shirley had fixed yet another meal....this one a bit more simple, and fortunately, smaller!!! It was a rice and lentil porridge that was fairly bland when eaten by itself, but she had also made a Chutney of coconut, corriander, onion, turmeric and chili. These ingredients were all blended together and molded into a large ball. We cut off sections of this ball and stirred it into the porridge. There were also several dishes of fruit on the table and we sampled cherries, green almonds (taste more like a bean than an almond), pomegranate seeds and Mangosteen. The rind of the Mangosteen is about ½ inch thick and is a deep reddish- purple color. The fruits are in sections inside the rind and have a citrus flavor, with a bit of peach as well. They were both interesting and tasty!!!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Photos - I finally figured out how to do it here
VENDORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cow eating food left on the street for it.
Construction
Side-Saddle in a Sari!!!
KFC for dinner!!!! (with Paul Billy, Shirley and Joseph)
The pole goes up!!!!!!!!!!
A neighbor's child......we made her cry!!!
Chalk drawings outside of houses
Day 4 - Saturday, June 14th
We had a great 8 hours of sleep and awoke to find that, once again, we didn’t have any water. Fortunately, the upstairs apartment did not have water either, so the man came down and started the pump again. We were able to have a quick shower before starting our day.
We walked back to our hosts home and were served a breakfast of Curried Potatoes and fried Chipatti bread......fantastic as usual.
Each morning I have heard bells ringing and was wondering about it. Shirley told us that it is part of a Hindu ritual where you clean your house, sweep your front porch and walk, draw the design on the ground outside your house, place an offering of flowers, pray, and then ring the bells. The designs are not drawn, but the chalk-like powder is poured out from the persons hand.
Since all animals are considered sacred in the Hindu religion, there are tons of dogs roaming the streets. We have started taking photos of some of them and calling them “Study in Dog”.....at this rate, we will have hundred’s of pictures.
Last night while we were driving, we stopped in front of a shop called a “Mutton and Chicken Stall”. There were several dead and plucked chickens hanging outside of the shop. There was a boarded up area in the back that I assumed held the mutton.
Today was a fairly quiet day because Paul Billy needed to get his sermon ready for Sunday. He did need to go to the bank which was in downtown Bangalore so we ventured out with him. Just before we got to the bank we saw a government run Arts and Crafts store, so we got out of the car and shopped while he did his banking. It was an amazing store, with each type of craft in a different area. We started picking up items in the Sandalwood section and were handed a small basket to put them in. When we started to leave that section and move to another one, they stopped us and told us that they would write up our purchases before we left and send them to the front desk. As we bought things, we received more and more individual invoices and then paid for them all at the end of the shopping trip. There were several areas of woodwork, metal work (brass covered with steel), jewelry, pashminas, saris, leather purses, rugs, and incense.
We returned to the house and Shirley had lunch ready...... rice with curried vegetables, beets (chopped and spiced) and another type of fried bread.
After our late lunch, we returned to the guest house and relaxed, did some reading and had a short nap. I got u
p first and had gone across the street to buy a drink from one of the shops. As I was walking back, I thought that I saw a monkey go across the street!!! As I watched another one crossed as well and then I realized that there was a large group of children following them. I went back in to get the camera and wake Michael up and we spent the next 15 minutes watching and photographing the monkeys as they jumped from balcony to balcony. There were about 5 or 6 females, all with baby’s in tow and about 4 or 5 males. It was funny to watch them posture and threaten the children below. Paul Billy told us that they come thru the neighborhood about twice a month, normally when certain fruits are ripening. He said that they are a menace and will even come into the house when the doors are open. Shirley once found one rifling thru their food!!! He shoots them with an air rifle so that they will be scared of his property. While we were at their house, the kids yelled that there were more monkeys and we walked out of the door (on the second floor) to find one sitting on the roof next to us....right at eye level and about 20 feet away.
We had a chance to meet Milton who works for the church in the street kids ministry. He runs a house for boys where they can stay during the day. They cant yet keep them overnight, but are working toward that. The boys come in by 9:00, have a shower, leave their old clothes to be washed and put on new clothes. They then do exercises and have a hot breakfast about 9:30. The rest of the day is spent in studies, Bible Study, crafts and other activities. They are trying to teach the boys (ages 6 - 13) that this is a safe and good place to be. Most of these boys have been left homeless because of parent’s drug use, poverty or death, or because of natural disaster.
Paul Billy apologetically told us that we were having Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner, as a treat for the kids. When KFC first came into India, it was THE place to be!!! We drove for about 25 minutes to get to the store. It was in the middle of a large city type area and was absolutely covered with vehicles and people. We were met by several beggars, including a small girl about 3 years old......so very sad!!! Afterwards we asked about what you should do with beggars and he said that his policy is to only give to the elderly. He said that many people can earn as much begging as they could working an 8 hour day as a laborer. He also said that there is a Mafia system that rules many of them and they have to give their money back to the Mafia. I would never have thought of that.
As we were finishing dinner, all of the lights went out. PB said that there are often rolling outages but that they don’t last long. Sure enough, the lights came back on about 20 minutes later. We apparently lost power again sometime in the night, because I woke up just as everything started coming back on.
We walked back to our hosts home and were served a breakfast of Curried Potatoes and fried Chipatti bread......fantastic as usual.
Each morning I have heard bells ringing and was wondering about it. Shirley told us that it is part of a Hindu ritual where you clean your house, sweep your front porch and walk, draw the design on the ground outside your house, place an offering of flowers, pray, and then ring the bells. The designs are not drawn, but the chalk-like powder is poured out from the persons hand.
Since all animals are considered sacred in the Hindu religion, there are tons of dogs roaming the streets. We have started taking photos of some of them and calling them “Study in Dog”.....at this rate, we will have hundred’s of pictures.
Last night while we were driving, we stopped in front of a shop called a “Mutton and Chicken Stall”. There were several dead and plucked chickens hanging outside of the shop. There was a boarded up area in the back that I assumed held the mutton.
Today was a fairly quiet day because Paul Billy needed to get his sermon ready for Sunday. He did need to go to the bank which was in downtown Bangalore so we ventured out with him. Just before we got to the bank we saw a government run Arts and Crafts store, so we got out of the car and shopped while he did his banking. It was an amazing store, with each type of craft in a different area. We started picking up items in the Sandalwood section and were handed a small basket to put them in. When we started to leave that section and move to another one, they stopped us and told us that they would write up our purchases before we left and send them to the front desk. As we bought things, we received more and more individual invoices and then paid for them all at the end of the shopping trip. There were several areas of woodwork, metal work (brass covered with steel), jewelry, pashminas, saris, leather purses, rugs, and incense.
We returned to the house and Shirley had lunch ready...... rice with curried vegetables, beets (chopped and spiced) and another type of fried bread.
After our late lunch, we returned to the guest house and relaxed, did some reading and had a short nap. I got u
p first and had gone across the street to buy a drink from one of the shops. As I was walking back, I thought that I saw a monkey go across the street!!! As I watched another one crossed as well and then I realized that there was a large group of children following them. I went back in to get the camera and wake Michael up and we spent the next 15 minutes watching and photographing the monkeys as they jumped from balcony to balcony. There were about 5 or 6 females, all with baby’s in tow and about 4 or 5 males. It was funny to watch them posture and threaten the children below. Paul Billy told us that they come thru the neighborhood about twice a month, normally when certain fruits are ripening. He said that they are a menace and will even come into the house when the doors are open. Shirley once found one rifling thru their food!!! He shoots them with an air rifle so that they will be scared of his property. While we were at their house, the kids yelled that there were more monkeys and we walked out of the door (on the second floor) to find one sitting on the roof next to us....right at eye level and about 20 feet away.We had a chance to meet Milton who works for the church in the street kids ministry. He runs a house for boys where they can stay during the day. They cant yet keep them overnight, but are working toward that. The boys come in by 9:00, have a shower, leave their old clothes to be washed and put on new clothes. They then do exercises and have a hot breakfast about 9:30. The rest of the day is spent in studies, Bible Study, crafts and other activities. They are trying to teach the boys (ages 6 - 13) that this is a safe and good place to be. Most of these boys have been left homeless because of parent’s drug use, poverty or death, or because of natural disaster.
Paul Billy apologetically told us that we were having Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner, as a treat for the kids. When KFC first came into India, it was THE place to be!!! We drove for about 25 minutes to get to the store. It was in the middle of a large city type area and was absolutely covered with vehicles and people. We were met by several beggars, including a small girl about 3 years old......so very sad!!! Afterwards we asked about what you should do with beggars and he said that his policy is to only give to the elderly. He said that many people can earn as much begging as they could working an 8 hour day as a laborer. He also said that there is a Mafia system that rules many of them and they have to give their money back to the Mafia. I would never have thought of that.
As we were finishing dinner, all of the lights went out. PB said that there are often rolling outages but that they don’t last long. Sure enough, the lights came back on about 20 minutes later. We apparently lost power again sometime in the night, because I woke up just as everything started coming back on.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Day 3 - Friday, June 13th
We began the day with BOTH of our alarm clocks going off at 6am.....we didn’t trust that we would wake up from only one clock. The morning did not get off to an auspicious start since we couldn’t figure out how to turn the water on so a shower was not in the cards. At 8:00am we walked down to Paul Billy’s house and were greeted by his wife, Shirley. She sent Thomas off to check on the water and then proceeded to fix us an excellent breakfast. She set out all of the normal American food.......cereal, bread, butter and jam, but more importantly to us, she made scrambled eggs and chipati bread. Chipati is a tortilla like bread made with wheat flour, oil and water and then rolled into thin circles and fried in a skillet). She warned us that the green things in the eggs were chilies and of course Michael had to try one.....whole. I think that his tongue is still sweating.
The street that we are living on is a mixture of homes and small stores. The first sounds that I heard this morning (at 6:00am) were of the shop just across the street opening up their store and stocking shelves. Most of the apartments have 3 stories and washing is hanging out on most of the levels. The street is busy with kids heading for school, people walking, bikes, scooters, “auto-rickshaws”, a fruit and vegetable vendors (I can hear one calling right now) and dogs. Early this morning there was a funny whooshing sound that I couldn’t figure out...... Michael told me that it was women out cleaning their porch and walks with a straw type broom. Maybe I will get to see this tomorrow.
In front of almost every home, there were designs chalking on the pavement . We asked about them and were told that they were drawn there to keep out evil and to also make the cows that pass feel welcomed. (Cows are considered sacred in the Hindu religion and are allowed to wander free)
We walked back to our host’s home to use the internet and spent a bit of time talking with Shirley. We heard a commotion outside and went out on the walkway to watch a group of about 20 men putting up a new electric pole. Ten were holding the bottom of the new pole, while another group of 10 pulled on a long rope that was attached to the top of the pole. Yet another group of 10 older men watched the process. It was fun to watch all of the women sitting out on their porches watching as well. After the pole was up, one man climbed on a bamboo ladder and sat on the cross bar while the others filled in the hole around the pole. While a few of the men finished wiring the new pole, the rest of them moved on to the next pole and started getting it ready to come down. They finished the second pole later in the afternoon.
Michael and I decided to venture out to see a bit of the area and walked down to some of the local shops. I had a look in a “Sweets” shop and didn’t recognize ANYTHING......it was all very different looking. I probably should have bought something, but decided to give it a miss for now. It was fun to walk thru the general store and try to figure out what everything was. We did decide that we want to buy some spices before we leave. We were going to go further on our walk, but realized that Paul Billy had arrived at his home so we went back to meet him.
We spent a couple of hours chatting with Paul Billy. He is very talkative and enjoyable to interact with. We spoke mostly about his ministry here in India. Shirley fixed an excellent lunch, complete with rice and a rich curry sauce, fried chicken legs (marinated in egg and Turmeric), and a spicy cabbage dish. Everything was served with fried Popodoms. Michael and I were given forks and knives, but Paul Billy ate Indian style....with his hands. I decided to join him and found it a very interesting experience.
After lunch Paul Billy left to pick up his kids so Michael and I took a stroll around the neighborhood. It was very interesting and yet slightly disconcerting to be out on our own. People tended to stare, but most seemed curious....not upset. We mostly looked and took photos, stopping in a couple of shops to see what they had. Each shop specialized in one thing, sweets, rice, tires, crunchy snacks, decorating stuff, cell phones, etc. There were also vendors moving up and down the street. The condition of the sidewalks were poor, with it ranging from dirt, to rocks, to rubble to concrete.....I am very thankful for the Chaco sandals!!!!
There was a lot of construction going on and it was interesting to see that they used wooden beams for scaffolding and also as supports for the ceilings that were being put up. It was a cool to see the intricate pattern of beams used. As far as the scaffolding goes, it looks extremely dangerous but Paul Billy said that it is very safe.
We also saw several beautiful flowering trees and one that had Jackfruit on it. They were interesting......large and shaped like an elongated bubble and rough on the outside. I have NO idea what it tastes like.
We returned to Paul Billy’s house at 5:00 and were greeted by his children......Jesudas is 10, Elsie is 8 and Joseph is 5. They are all very friendly and we have had a lot of fun conversations with them. At 6:00 we left with Paul Billy and the kids to go to a Bible Study group that meets every Friday evening. There were a group of about 15 adults and several kids already there when we arrived. The study started immediately with singing accompanied by guitar. The songs were ones that we knew and it was fun to think that we had now sung some of them on THREE continents!! The people were all very friendly and we are looking forward to seeing them again on Sunday.
After the study the hosts set out dishes of curry for everyone to eat. They fixed Michael’s and my plate for us and it was covered with a HUGE amount of curried rice and yogurt dahl. We were also told to sit at the table in the kitchen (a place of honor) while the others sat in the other room. However, the hosts stayed with us most of the time. We had only eaten a few bites when she brought out another dish of rice (with chicken this time) and proceeded to heap even more food onto our plates. The taste was wonderful, but the volume almost defeated us, but we knew that we had to eat all of it!!! All of the family kept asking if we wanted more!!! They then brought a small cup of custard with Mango and banana in it. AND, as we were finishing the first one, they handed us another one. THEN, when we thought we were finally through, the hostess brought out a big bunch or small bananas and handed us each one. I really wanted to just lie down and cradle my distended stomach!!!!
Paul Billy is a font of information and we learned a lot while we were driving with him. Bangalore has 8 million people and is steadily growing. The IT industry is funneling a great amount of money into the city. He pointed out white vans that were filled with people and told us that they were IT workers that were being transported to and from work at all hours of the day and night.
The traffic is amazing and the cars get really close together. Michael was sitting in front, and several times he stopped in mid sentence as he saw a car or scooter come REALLY close to his arm!!!! There are small vehicles called “Autos” that look like gas powered rickshaws. Paul Billy said that they were “Roller Coasters without the safety devices!!! There was one truck broken down in the middle of the street and they had put tree branches on the back of it to signify that people should go around.
We arrived back home and fell thankfully into bed.
So far, I have not had enough internet strength to download the photos, but will keep trying.
The street that we are living on is a mixture of homes and small stores. The first sounds that I heard this morning (at 6:00am) were of the shop just across the street opening up their store and stocking shelves. Most of the apartments have 3 stories and washing is hanging out on most of the levels. The street is busy with kids heading for school, people walking, bikes, scooters, “auto-rickshaws”, a fruit and vegetable vendors (I can hear one calling right now) and dogs. Early this morning there was a funny whooshing sound that I couldn’t figure out...... Michael told me that it was women out cleaning their porch and walks with a straw type broom. Maybe I will get to see this tomorrow.
In front of almost every home, there were designs chalking on the pavement . We asked about them and were told that they were drawn there to keep out evil and to also make the cows that pass feel welcomed. (Cows are considered sacred in the Hindu religion and are allowed to wander free)
We walked back to our host’s home to use the internet and spent a bit of time talking with Shirley. We heard a commotion outside and went out on the walkway to watch a group of about 20 men putting up a new electric pole. Ten were holding the bottom of the new pole, while another group of 10 pulled on a long rope that was attached to the top of the pole. Yet another group of 10 older men watched the process. It was fun to watch all of the women sitting out on their porches watching as well. After the pole was up, one man climbed on a bamboo ladder and sat on the cross bar while the others filled in the hole around the pole. While a few of the men finished wiring the new pole, the rest of them moved on to the next pole and started getting it ready to come down. They finished the second pole later in the afternoon.
Michael and I decided to venture out to see a bit of the area and walked down to some of the local shops. I had a look in a “Sweets” shop and didn’t recognize ANYTHING......it was all very different looking. I probably should have bought something, but decided to give it a miss for now. It was fun to walk thru the general store and try to figure out what everything was. We did decide that we want to buy some spices before we leave. We were going to go further on our walk, but realized that Paul Billy had arrived at his home so we went back to meet him.
We spent a couple of hours chatting with Paul Billy. He is very talkative and enjoyable to interact with. We spoke mostly about his ministry here in India. Shirley fixed an excellent lunch, complete with rice and a rich curry sauce, fried chicken legs (marinated in egg and Turmeric), and a spicy cabbage dish. Everything was served with fried Popodoms. Michael and I were given forks and knives, but Paul Billy ate Indian style....with his hands. I decided to join him and found it a very interesting experience.
After lunch Paul Billy left to pick up his kids so Michael and I took a stroll around the neighborhood. It was very interesting and yet slightly disconcerting to be out on our own. People tended to stare, but most seemed curious....not upset. We mostly looked and took photos, stopping in a couple of shops to see what they had. Each shop specialized in one thing, sweets, rice, tires, crunchy snacks, decorating stuff, cell phones, etc. There were also vendors moving up and down the street. The condition of the sidewalks were poor, with it ranging from dirt, to rocks, to rubble to concrete.....I am very thankful for the Chaco sandals!!!!
There was a lot of construction going on and it was interesting to see that they used wooden beams for scaffolding and also as supports for the ceilings that were being put up. It was a cool to see the intricate pattern of beams used. As far as the scaffolding goes, it looks extremely dangerous but Paul Billy said that it is very safe.
We also saw several beautiful flowering trees and one that had Jackfruit on it. They were interesting......large and shaped like an elongated bubble and rough on the outside. I have NO idea what it tastes like.
We returned to Paul Billy’s house at 5:00 and were greeted by his children......Jesudas is 10, Elsie is 8 and Joseph is 5. They are all very friendly and we have had a lot of fun conversations with them. At 6:00 we left with Paul Billy and the kids to go to a Bible Study group that meets every Friday evening. There were a group of about 15 adults and several kids already there when we arrived. The study started immediately with singing accompanied by guitar. The songs were ones that we knew and it was fun to think that we had now sung some of them on THREE continents!! The people were all very friendly and we are looking forward to seeing them again on Sunday.
After the study the hosts set out dishes of curry for everyone to eat. They fixed Michael’s and my plate for us and it was covered with a HUGE amount of curried rice and yogurt dahl. We were also told to sit at the table in the kitchen (a place of honor) while the others sat in the other room. However, the hosts stayed with us most of the time. We had only eaten a few bites when she brought out another dish of rice (with chicken this time) and proceeded to heap even more food onto our plates. The taste was wonderful, but the volume almost defeated us, but we knew that we had to eat all of it!!! All of the family kept asking if we wanted more!!! They then brought a small cup of custard with Mango and banana in it. AND, as we were finishing the first one, they handed us another one. THEN, when we thought we were finally through, the hostess brought out a big bunch or small bananas and handed us each one. I really wanted to just lie down and cradle my distended stomach!!!!
Paul Billy is a font of information and we learned a lot while we were driving with him. Bangalore has 8 million people and is steadily growing. The IT industry is funneling a great amount of money into the city. He pointed out white vans that were filled with people and told us that they were IT workers that were being transported to and from work at all hours of the day and night.
The traffic is amazing and the cars get really close together. Michael was sitting in front, and several times he stopped in mid sentence as he saw a car or scooter come REALLY close to his arm!!!! There are small vehicles called “Autos” that look like gas powered rickshaws. Paul Billy said that they were “Roller Coasters without the safety devices!!! There was one truck broken down in the middle of the street and they had put tree branches on the back of it to signify that people should go around.
We arrived back home and fell thankfully into bed.
So far, I have not had enough internet strength to download the photos, but will keep trying.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Day 1-1/2 to 2 - Thursday (sort of) June 12
We did indeed begin boarding in 15 minutes, but we boarded a bus rather than a plane!!!
Our flight to Bangalore was great. We both were able to sleep a little bit and enjoyed reading, watching movies and, of course, Michael spent several hours working on his computer. I selected the Indian meal instead of the French one and enjoyed curry and rice. It was interesting to look out of the window as it was beginning to get dark. Since we were flying away from the sunset, it only took about 20 minutes for it to go from full sunlight to complete dark. It looked almost as if we were flying into a black wall.
We also enjoyed watching the computer screen that showed where we were flying. It was a bit eerie to realize that we were flying around Baghdad, over Tehran and straight across Pakistan. This is the furthest east that either of us have ever been.
We arrived in Bangalore at 12:26 am on Friday, about 20 minutes late. The Bangalore International airport is brand new, having opened about 4 weeks ago. It is beautiful and even more important....efficient!!! We went straight through customs, found our bag within about 20 minutes and were out of the airport very quickly. Atlanta could take some lessons!!!! The people were also friendly and helpful, both those on staff at the airport, as well as the nationals that were flying in.
As we exited the airport, we were greeted by Thomas who was holding up a sign with our names. He helped us with our bags and loaded us into his car. While we are here we are spending a few days with Paul Billy & Shirley Arnold, who are friends of one of our friends in Athens. They are Indians who trained at Covenant Presbyterian Seminary and are now acting as "Church- planters” in Southern India. Thomas is Paul Billy’s assistant.
As we headed out of the parking lot, I was immediately impressed with the amount of honking that Indian drivers do. They honk to tell people to hurry, honk to tell people that they want into the line, honk when they are passing another car, honk when they are coming to an area where others might be turning in front of them and sometimes seem to just honk for the heck off it.
The other thing that was a bit disconcerting was that there were no orderly lines to get out of the parking lot.....everyone just pushed forward until someone was forced to stop.
The road from the airport is also brand new and was 6 lanes wide. People seemed to be traveling fairly fast on it, but Thomas kept his speedometer at 60 km (about 36 mph)....Michael said that he thought that the speed limit was actually 30 kms. When there is a stop sign, or any reason that the traffic is supposed to slow down, there are HUGE speed bumps to cross....even on the 6 lane highway.
Since it was so dark, it was a bit hard to see things around us, but the little that we did see showed a huge dichotomy between affluence and poverty. There were huge apartment complexes and large stores right next to small shanty’s and shops. There were several large stores that had rope lights hanging from the roof to the ground....it definitely helped them to stand out from the crowd. There were expensive cars driving on the airport road, passing vagrants sleeping on the median between the lanes.
The roads got smaller as we traveled into Bangalore, and as Thomas started making turns, each lead onto a progressively smaller road. He passed Paul Billy’s house and drove a block further to where the guest house is located. He showed us how everything worked and left us to get some sleep. We crashed into bed about 2:30am local time.....5pm Athens time.
Our flight to Bangalore was great. We both were able to sleep a little bit and enjoyed reading, watching movies and, of course, Michael spent several hours working on his computer. I selected the Indian meal instead of the French one and enjoyed curry and rice. It was interesting to look out of the window as it was beginning to get dark. Since we were flying away from the sunset, it only took about 20 minutes for it to go from full sunlight to complete dark. It looked almost as if we were flying into a black wall.
We also enjoyed watching the computer screen that showed where we were flying. It was a bit eerie to realize that we were flying around Baghdad, over Tehran and straight across Pakistan. This is the furthest east that either of us have ever been.
We arrived in Bangalore at 12:26 am on Friday, about 20 minutes late. The Bangalore International airport is brand new, having opened about 4 weeks ago. It is beautiful and even more important....efficient!!! We went straight through customs, found our bag within about 20 minutes and were out of the airport very quickly. Atlanta could take some lessons!!!! The people were also friendly and helpful, both those on staff at the airport, as well as the nationals that were flying in.
As we exited the airport, we were greeted by Thomas who was holding up a sign with our names. He helped us with our bags and loaded us into his car. While we are here we are spending a few days with Paul Billy & Shirley Arnold, who are friends of one of our friends in Athens. They are Indians who trained at Covenant Presbyterian Seminary and are now acting as "Church- planters” in Southern India. Thomas is Paul Billy’s assistant.
As we headed out of the parking lot, I was immediately impressed with the amount of honking that Indian drivers do. They honk to tell people to hurry, honk to tell people that they want into the line, honk when they are passing another car, honk when they are coming to an area where others might be turning in front of them and sometimes seem to just honk for the heck off it.
The other thing that was a bit disconcerting was that there were no orderly lines to get out of the parking lot.....everyone just pushed forward until someone was forced to stop.
The road from the airport is also brand new and was 6 lanes wide. People seemed to be traveling fairly fast on it, but Thomas kept his speedometer at 60 km (about 36 mph)....Michael said that he thought that the speed limit was actually 30 kms. When there is a stop sign, or any reason that the traffic is supposed to slow down, there are HUGE speed bumps to cross....even on the 6 lane highway.
Since it was so dark, it was a bit hard to see things around us, but the little that we did see showed a huge dichotomy between affluence and poverty. There were huge apartment complexes and large stores right next to small shanty’s and shops. There were several large stores that had rope lights hanging from the roof to the ground....it definitely helped them to stand out from the crowd. There were expensive cars driving on the airport road, passing vagrants sleeping on the median between the lanes.
The roads got smaller as we traveled into Bangalore, and as Thomas started making turns, each lead onto a progressively smaller road. He passed Paul Billy’s house and drove a block further to where the guest house is located. He showed us how everything worked and left us to get some sleep. We crashed into bed about 2:30am local time.....5pm Athens time.
Day 1 - Wednesday (June 11th)
Our trip to the airport was relatively uneventful, just one changed seat assignment and a pilot who came out and made a long announcement about why the plane was delayed......they were having trouble with one of the engines and needed to do an extended test on it!!! WHY do they even tell you these things.....I could have gone all day without knowing that.
As we were getting onto the plane, there was a baby carriage, complete with baby, sitting on the airbridge, just outside of the plane. Michael pointed to it and looked quizzically at the steward standing at the door. He answered (in thick French accent) “no boarding pass.....and I don’t speak Russian!!. We all had a laugh and it ended up that he was serving on our area, so we got to interact with him several times.....he told us that he liked our spirit. One lady was sprawled over her seat and part of the aisle and he asked her “Madame, are you comfortable!!!”.
We also had a laugh with one of the security people in Paris. As we were going through the security line, he asked if we were together......we answered, yes, but how did you guess?
We arrived in Paris and found a wonderful cheese baguette for breakfast, along with the requisite Double Espresso for Michael, and Pepsi Light for me. We found out that our cell phones don’t have international service, even though we called to get it before we left. We will look into it further when we get settled in Bangalore.
As I close this first diary entry, I note that the sign says that we are boarding in 15 minutes, but yet the plane is not here yet.....should prove interesting!!
As we were getting onto the plane, there was a baby carriage, complete with baby, sitting on the airbridge, just outside of the plane. Michael pointed to it and looked quizzically at the steward standing at the door. He answered (in thick French accent) “no boarding pass.....and I don’t speak Russian!!. We all had a laugh and it ended up that he was serving on our area, so we got to interact with him several times.....he told us that he liked our spirit. One lady was sprawled over her seat and part of the aisle and he asked her “Madame, are you comfortable!!!”.
We also had a laugh with one of the security people in Paris. As we were going through the security line, he asked if we were together......we answered, yes, but how did you guess?
We arrived in Paris and found a wonderful cheese baguette for breakfast, along with the requisite Double Espresso for Michael, and Pepsi Light for me. We found out that our cell phones don’t have international service, even though we called to get it before we left. We will look into it further when we get settled in Bangalore.
As I close this first diary entry, I note that the sign says that we are boarding in 15 minutes, but yet the plane is not here yet.....should prove interesting!!
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